More than a billion hungry people worldwide, says the UN

The global economic crisis has led to a further increase in the number of hungry people in the world, with more than one billion people undernourished this year, according to a report released by the UN food agencies, reports AFP.

“Even before the food crisis and the economic crisis, the number of hungry people had been increasing slowly but steadily,” said a report compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme.”With the onset of these crises, however, the number of hungry people in the world increased sharply.”

According to the report, there are more hungry people now than at any time since 1970. The UN agencies urged agricultural investments “despite the financial constraints faced by governments around the world.”